Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Pot Roast & Birds Eye Review

I'm what some might call the black sheep of the family when it comes to food. Everyone in my family loves meatloaf and pot roast. Until two years ago, if you asked me what my two most hated foods were it would be meatloaf and pot roast. Pot roast definitely being my most hated food! My mom made roast a lot growing up, my brother can eat a WHOLE roast. If you think I'm exaggerating, I assure you I'm not. The look of it always threw me off and I despise cooked potatoes and carrots together with the roast.....EWWWW!!!

You already know from this post how I came to eat meatloaf and now I actually like it and look forward to eating it. Roast has been a little harder for me to overcome. I'm still working on it and I've actually made it twice and ate a regular portion without covering the meat in ketchup or gagging as I swallow :) In fact, when I made this Friday night I enjoyed my roast! YAY!!! This is very exciting since everyone else in my family loves this dish. I cook mine differently-no carrots or potatoes. I just use pot roast, seasoning, beef stock, one onion and thyme. It's yummy and super easy!

Let's pause a moment and talk about side items. A lot of time I don't really make side items because Steve and I can't eat them and a main dish without wasting a lot of food. The good folks at Foodbuzz Tastemaker sent me some Steamfresh Chef's Favorite by Birds Eye this past week. ***Please be aware that all opinions of the product are my own and I have not been paid to give a favorable review.*** I decided to try out the Primavera Vegetable Risotto to go along with my pot roast. I have to say I was a bit skeptical about this selection because as I've already mentioned I don't like cooked carrots and I also don't like peas. That being said, you can imagine my delight when I tasted this risotto and found that I loved it! The rice was very creamy and the carrots and peas were really good as well-not all mushy, cooked but yet still firm. I can't wait until these Birds Eye steamer bags are available at the store this September because I will definitely be getting some more. I did mine in the microwave which impressed me even more because I have never been big on microwave meals of any kind. Usually things you pop in the microwave come out mushy, overcooked, or undercooked. Luckily, this steambag works great and resulted in a dish that taste like it was homemade! I was VERY impressed.

Cook for 3 1/2-4 hours (if using 3 lb. roast), 5-6 hours if using larger roast, until fork tender. Remove thyme bundle and serve. You can also cook in a crock-pot (slow cooker) on low 6-8 hours if you don' want your oven on all day.

Serve over rice and spoon juices from roast on top! I also like to add some hot sauce to mine :) YUM!!